Chocolate, Task Forces and Prepping for the Big Conference

As the hype for the national conference is building, so is our workload here at NASFAA! The staff members are busy preparing their presentations and planning sessions to attend. I’ve looked through the conference program quite a few times already and am still trying to decide which sessions I should attend. Everything looks interesting, so the decisions are pretty tough! I definitely am looking forward to the opening session on Sunday and hearing the education policy discussion between the higher education policy advisors for the Barack Obama and Mitt Romney presidential campaigns. I’ve also caught myself Googling the city of Chicago during lunch, and can’t wait to visit. The Navy Pier has made it on my list of places I’d like to go. I’ve never been off the East Coast, so venturing out West will be a pleasant adventure!

Speaking of pleasant adventures… I made a wonderful discovery with regards to the NASFAA staff’s affection for chocolate, which I just happen to share! Before our meeting with the Reauthorization Task Force, the subject of chocolate happened to arise. One thing led to another and we all agreed that we had to get a fix of chocolate, and as a result I experienced my first real traditional intern task: find chocolate! (I certainly was not complaining.) I discovered that there is a store, Chocolate Chocolate, about two minutes away from our office building with the largest assortment of chocolate I have ever seen. Milk chocolate almonds and peanuts were the winners of the afternoon. I made it back just in time for the conference call, and the chocolate run was definitely worth it! (Sorry to all the others on the call that did not get the chance to share the chocolate with us.)

The call was successful, as we discussed federal updates, received more details about the meeting planned for the conference, and heard updates from the sub-groups. One particular sub-group that I found intriguing was the Need Analysis Group. They are still in the process of gathering information, much of which is not available yet, but will include research on prior-prior year. I look forward to learning more about the task force at the conference when I join their meeting on Monday night. Throughout my time here, I have learned the importance of NASFAA’s task forces and committees, and how critical they are to the success of our advocacy work.

In summary, the lessons of the day were:

Committees and task forces are crucial to the proper functioning of a well-represented organization.

The conference is going to be awesome!

You can never go wrong with chocolate.

Publication Date: 7/19/2012

Margot O |
7/19/2012 4:52:35 PM

Thanks, Linda!! Millenium Park is definately added to the list. The Nordstrom Mall sounds like a place where I could get into some trouble though. I love shopping even more than I love chocolate!

Linda G |
7/19/2012 10:16:23 AM

Don't forget Millenium Park when you get to Chicago. They also have the best museums and vertical malls -- The Water Tower and the Nordstrom Mall right on Michigan Avenue. Have fun.

Comments Disclaimer: NASFAA welcomes and encourages readers to comment and engage in respectful conversation about the content posted here. We value thoughtful, polite, and concise comments that reflect a variety of views. Comments are not moderated by NASFAA but are reviewed periodically by staff. Users should not expect real-time responses from NASFAA. To learn more, please view NASFAA’s complete Comments Policy.